Cleveland Browns quarterback Jason Campbell is helping Brandon Weeden, but also will be given a fair shot to beat him out.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Backup quarterback Jason Campbell will be given a legitimate shot to beat out Brandon Weeden for the starting job, and the competition between the two is more than just lip service, league sources said.

That's one of the main reasons the Browns have been reluctant during the off-season to tout Weeden as their guy for 2013.

On the final day of the recent NFL Draft, when asked if not drafting a QB meant the Browns were committed to Weeden, head coach Rob Chudzinski said: "I feel good about the group. How all that plays out, we'll see and know in time. I'm excited about Brandon and the progress he's made thus far, learning the system to the point we are right now, which is still very early.

"I've also been pleased with Jason [Campbell] and the role he's taken on being there.

"We want to give these guys every opportunity to succeed and give Brandon, since you are asking about him specifically, every opportunity to succeed."

Pressed on whether the team is moving forward with Weeden as the intended starter, Chudzinski said: "We're going to proceed as we're proceeding right now."

"Brandon is getting the reps with the first team and working with the first group. A lot of this will remain to be seen when we get into pads and we get into real football instead of the football where you run around in shorts on air."

Chudzinski's remarks were consistent with what he said during the Browns' voluntary minicamp April 16-18, in which Weeden took the first-team reps.

Campbell, who heads into camp as the clear No. 2, had other options in free agency but signed with the Browns because they provided him with the best opportunity to return to a starting role. And his contract includes plenty of incentives and escalators if he lands the job.

He signed a two-year deal worth $3.75 million, including $500,000 guaranteed. His base salaries are $1.5 million in 2013 and $2.25 million in 2014. But if he plays 65 percent to 79 percent of the snaps in 2013, he'll receive an extra $350,000 this year and $2 million more in 2014. And if he plays at least 80 percent of the snaps, the incentive for 2013 increases to $800,000.

(The escalators include an extra $500,000 in 2014 for 30 percent of the snaps, $1 million for 40 percent and $1.5 million for 50 percent.)

And even though Campbell is a willing mentor for Weeden, he's determined to regain the starting status he had in 2011 before former Browns linebackers Chris Gocong and Scott Fujita converged on him and broke his collarbone in a 24-17 Raiders victory Oct. 16. Campbell had led the Raiders to a 4-2 start that season and was one of the most talked-about quarterbacks in the NFL.

But the Raiders traded for Carson Palmer, and Campbell became expendable. He signed a one-year deal with the Bears last season to back up Jay Cutler and try to get his career back on track, but losing the starting job in Oakland still sticks in his craw.

"I was off to the best season of my career," Campbell said at minicamp. "To wake up and find out about the trade [for Palmer] and know I wasn't starting anymore, it was a tough pill to swallow."

Campbell, a ninth-year pro, has been respectful of Weeden's incumbent status and has been careful not to step on any toes.

"It's not about egos and things like that," he said. "I'm going to help Brandon as much as possible, but at the same time, I'm going to push him and compete and help the guys around us continue to get better, because if you win as a team, life is good for everybody."

One edge that Campbell, 31, has in the competition is the fact that he's spent four years in an offense very similar to the so-called "numbers" scheme that Chudzinski and offensive coordinator Norv Turner will run here. In his two years as a starter in the scheme in Oakland, Campbell went 11-7, with 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and an 84.3 quarterback rating.

"I feel I was really taking off, really blossoming, really having an opportunity to control the line of scrimmage and see some things and change a couple plays here and there based off what I've seen before and having experience in that offense," he said during his introductory conference call here.

Chudzinski indicated at the NFL owners meetings in March that this season would be more than just building on 2012 for Weeden.

"For Brandon, it will be different because he's learning a brand-new system," the coach said. "So in some ways, he'll be approaching it like he had to as a rookie."

The Browns also are tinkering with Weeden's mechanics, speeding up his footwork and reducing his ball-patting habit. Browns CEO Joe Banner has said Weeden will be given every opportunity to succeed, but the new regime did not draft him and has no allegiance to him. Also, Weeden will turn 30 in October and doesn't have three years to learn the nuances of the scheme. If Campbell looks significantly better during camp, the Browns won't hesitate to start him on opening day.

Bess' contract: The three-year contract extension of receiver Davone Bess through 2016 is worth $11.5 million, with $5.75 million guaranteed.

His yearly average is $2,939,000.

Bess, 27, was acquired in a trade with the Dolphins during draft weekend for a swap of fourth-round picks. The Browns also exchanged their fifth-round pick for the Dolphins' seventh.

The Browns coveted Bess, in large part, for his ability to convert on third down. From 2008-12, he accounted for 130 third-down receptions, the second most in the NFL during that span.

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.